[PHP] Protecting a file via PHP.

[- Edwin -]

Hi,

"Steve Jackson" <stephen.jackson@violasystems.com> wrote:

> I just read this:
> [url]http://zend.com/zend/trick/tricks-august-2001.php[/url]
> To protect a file via PHP.

Didn't really read this but...

> What does this part mean in the serving the files part:
> define('FILEDIR', '/mnt/dos/');
>
> Do I define the directory where the file is served from? Or do I define
> a directory to which the file is served to (a temp) or what?

It should be "from" and not "to".

> No matter
> what I've tried I get no error message and the browser (IE6) just hangs
> so it appears that PHP is trying to serve the file but failing for some
> reason.

Could be a different problem...

- E -
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Steve Jackson
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-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Jackson [mailto:stephen.jackson@violasystems.com]
Sent: 16. syyskuuta 2003 12:15
To: 'copperwa11s@yahoo.co.jp'
Subject: RE: [PHP] Protecting a file via PHP.

> > What does this part mean in the serving the files part:
> > define('FILEDIR', '/mnt/dos/');
> >
> > Do I define the directory where the file is served from? Or do I
> > define a directory to which the file is served to (a temp) or what?

>
> It should be "from" and not "to".

OK. The thing is I wonder why in the zend article the directory here is
different. There are two scripts on the page: <?
define('FILEDIR', '/downloads/');

//display available files
$d = dir(FILEDIR);
while($f = $d->read())
{
//skip 'hidden' files
if($f{0} != '.')
{
print("<a href=\"get.php?file=$f\">$f</a><br>\n");
}
}
$d->close();
?>

This first one looks in the downloads directory (outside the root) and
grabs the filenames displaying them as a link. This works fine on my
server.

This second one starts with:
define('FILEDIR', '/mnt/dos/');

And I can't see an explanation why. Surely if it was meant to be the
same the writer would have had the same route defined?

>
> Could be a different problem...
>

Could be. But I'm trying to eliminate this one first. I've tried the
from directory and get the same error as I menioned previously. If I
can't get this to work are there any other ways I can protect a file
from being displayed. I need to be able to:
1) Display links to authenticated users (php session)
2) Let authenticated users download the files.

I don't want to use an htaccess file unless there is a way to
authenticate the user in htaccess by reading the session variable.